Dance bar ban in Mumbai challenged by SC, again

The Maharashtra government has been working hard to ban dance bars in the state. The government had thought that the Bollywood capital should embrace sanity and stop girls from dancing in bars and restaurant in 2005. The ban was challenged by the Bombay High Court and the law was made ineffective in 2006. It seems the government is serious in banning the dance bars. The government re-introduced a ban on dance bar in 2014.

Supreme Court (SC) challenged the government initiative citing that the ban will affect the livelihood of some 75,000 dancers. On February 6, SC has directed the Maharashtra government to reply to the the petition that challenges the 2014 ban on dance bars.

Indian Hotel and Restaurant Association (Ahar) had filed the petition against the government ban. The petition states that such a ban will help in raise in illegal private mujra and dance parlors. The police and the government can’t control such private dance parties. The petition states that if dance bars are run legally the performance in them can be regulated by the police, the dancers can earn their living and the state can earn tax revenues.